Here it come, The Fifth Chapter. The second hanchan between Saki and Koromo . It isn't without consequences.

That chapter should have been published three days ago but I was ill and couldn't finish it before todays, Sorry for the wait.

Disclaimer: I don't own Saki, I still owe her though

A Garden under the Moon 5

Midnight's Bloom.

For an instant , while Jun took her seat , Saki closed her eyes, trying to understand what was different in her now. What she found what incredible in its simplicity, she felt free

She was in what amounted to a luxurious prison , here to serve it's prisoner and entertain her by playing a game she didn't know if she loved or hated .

And even if her jailer was kind it didn't change that if she couldn't do what she had been called for she would be isolated anew . Her life had always been like that after all. Too strong , weak or average to be of any use. The only thing she was known for in her former school was her constant presence at the garden's exit of the library.

In fact most people dumped the Library or Garden duty on her, always making her late.

But right now, even if she was virtually locked in this mansion she felt freer than ever.

She hadn't felt like this since the first time she had played , Before that 'unfortunate' event that had alienated her from her family.

And from those same feelings she , for the first time, forgot the pain .

Even if it was just for that moment . Just for that play with her kin. She felt alive once again.

And she would appreciate it and make that game the best of her life thus far. She swore it to herself.

"What are you two waiting" Jun's voice finally got to her mind snapping her out of her thought. Jun and Tomoki had already picked their place

"Ah, Sorry, I was.." She started not knowing how to respond.

"Feeling the moment, right" Koromo finished for her " I was doing the same."

"Yes.. That's it." Saki beamed a smile, unknowingly sending shiver down the two already seated players.

"Would you pick your seat ?... Or do I have to choose for you" Koromo asked her own cute smile curving her lips.

"I'll let you chose first, Koromo-chan , not that it will change the result." Saki got to the other end of the table, anticipating the result. On the way the others stared at her, lost as to what she was doing.

"...Well, that's true , but you seem awfully sure of yourself, even for some like you." Koromo deepened after regaining her composure. " And that Koromo-SAN for you" She continued flipping one of the two tiles still upside down.

"HI," Saki answered cheerfully, siting before even checking what tile was flipped.

"I can't believe it she was right about her being west" Jun said looking to the last tile left unturned.''

"... But if I was East Koromo couldn't see if the moon is here, That wouldn't make any sense." Saki said, lost.

"... How do... I don't even..." Jun muttered in the air while Tomoki's Glasses had fallen down on the table.

"No , she is right. Against someone like her I prefer to be absolutely sure they're no cloud. " Koromo was visibly happy to consult the level of her opponent, she could actually test her now. Koromo then turned back to look in Saki's eyes."I'm surprised you knew, or maybe you have something like that too. "

Saki schooled her face, she wouldn't let it show "It's for you to find, after all , analyzing is half the game, right Tomoki"

"Eh.. Yes. Can we start now?" The glassed girl, who had already gotten them back on her nose, answered , her voice slightly shaking.

" Yes, I would like to be able to sleep a little tonight, And the last time I seemed to reckon it took four hours after the fight for Hajime to sleep." Jun summarized, thrashing her head from the already growing headache.

"And I Even hold back that time. Your right we shall start" Koromo pushed on the button and the game got set. All the while the four players at the table were shaking in their chair.

Two out of fright of the clash they were to witness.

One of anticipation as it was the first time she could really play the way she wanted, with the slight possibility that she could lose.

One out of both, for in the back of her head, she was still unsure if she wouldn't get too far.

With that clattering wood for background music the game began.

And when the west came to her hand on her first turn she had her dread answer. She would most likely go too far.

But strangely, as she looked at the expectant eyes of her new mistress the only thing she could think could be summarized as " Well, they asked for it ".

How over what she said at loud was far more terrifying for her foe. "Richi"

Saki discarded the tile she had just drawn and clacked her stick on the table . To hit harder, she would let the flower rest hidden for now, the bud wasn't the right one. Usually she would have gone for it none the less, But she had promised to show them her true self, and she had already apologized.

"Already on the attack? It won't change anything" Koromo was aggressive "And I'll take that, Pon" She took the 1 bamboo Tomoki had thrown just after Saki's discard.

Saki just smiled and wait for her turn. She knew her win would come this hand no matter what. Koromo control over the table was strong, yes, and she had felt the abyss trying to take her from the very start. But , on the list for this hand, Koromo had waited too long before activating it.

And she was determined to strike first and attest the strength she had. And at the same time showing that sense alone couldn't stop her.

"Pon" Toki called on a green dragon, half surprising Saki. She knew the girl was good at analyzing but it was rare for the girl to call so early in the game.

Apart if... Saki looked in Jun eye. Well interesting , They were starting to adapt. They obviously had to if they played against Koromo often enough but it was still a good sign as it meant it wouldn't be that much of a two way fight.

" Pon" this time it was Koromo who called , still out of Jun who probably used her faculty to read in which direction she could get the flow.

To bad Saki didn't ride on it for her win, Jun would have been a thought adversary otherwise.

But here she was just waiting for their little game of avoiding her turn to stop.

That was why she rarely used Richi. But for that had it didn't matter and was even getting her information without having to concentrate on her own game.

By the time Tomoki and Koromo were both obviously in tempai Saki still had only one discard, her west richi.

But by calling , either out of just great aggressive play or just to stop her from drawing they had set back the game to where it start in terms. Metaphorically speaking she was back on her west seat.

Jun understood it, too late. When Saki was finally allowed to pick her tile the tall girl made had a rictus , knowing she had been fooled.

"Tsumo, Double-II, Chanta , West, 3 Dora.." While Saki extend her hand to turn the Ura she was stopped.

"... That's.. Why didn't you kan with that hand? With your luck it was obviously going to be a Rinshan." Koromo said a little disappointment in her voice.

"... Well, " Saki didn't know what to say, she couldn't disprove . By the way she had played till now they were right to think she would have gone for it

Rinshan Kaihou, "The flower that bloom atop the mountain". Was always her favorite Yaku for, even so she could never be that flower like her sister said, it did describe a hunch of her way of playing. But her affinity lay further down the road.

Somewhere no-one liked to go.

So she just showed them. "Excuse me" She turned both the Rinchan she would have drawn and the Ura.

All three of her foes couldn't believe what they saw. The Rinchan was a 4 dot, she would have won with that but it was not like with the 1 Dot which gave a Chanta.

But what really shook them was the Ura marker. A 9 dot.

"Ura 4 Kozoe Yakuman , 16000/8000" She looked into their eyes , still unsure "... Do you understand now?"

".. You.. how could you" Koromo was pointing an accusatory finger at her.

" Calm down Koromo,... It hurt but That the game . Take that" Jun said attempting to defuse the temmptrum about to get loose. Koromo still looked upset, But she didn't utter word.

Saki knew things like that could happen. It always happened. But this time she had said she would enjoy that match and do her best. And for the first time she was set free, and just for that she would go to the last.

...

Koromo wasn't angry at Saki. Well maybe a little, but not so much. And at least not for winning her hand in such a beautiful way.

Saki was literally the most interesting girl she had encountered. But like her she had a deep scar still vivid. Koromo had not heard about them directly. She had just guessed from the way the girl was constantly switching between eagerness to fight and unnatural shyness.

And , even if she found it really endearing to the point she didn't mind at all if Saki lived with her for the rest of her life That weakness had no place in a real fight

Mainly , She was angry at herself, thinking that her usual pressure and trick would do. They did almost not work when Saki was still sealed so why did she thought that they would work.

Usually she did not have to think much in her game, just following her instinct. And of that she wasn't used.

In fact the first time she played she did not know half of the rules but had still beaten Touka flat out.

Now she knew how to play, even without her abilities , making the monster she was 'in game'. But still most of the time she didn't take time to really think about her play.

Already in the first hanchan against Saki she had understood that she had to use her brain or she would get trapped. But even just carefully thinking wasn't enough it seemed. She would have to use both power and wit at her max. Listening to her instinct while doubting them. Because fate didn't have a hold on her foe as she was now.

Inwardly she smiled as she scolded her feature to no show her real thought. She still had to learn herself.

And she started by mitigating her influence. If she could sink everyone maybe she could also choose who to save, or who to sink , that the thought that hit her at the start of the hand. And right now she was trying to focus her Flood on Saki and it seemed to work.

It was the eleventh turn and while she could sense a Mangan tempai on her right for at least three turn already, and her left was 1 away from a tempai for around 2 Fu 40 han she was sure Saki was in fact loosing her footing.

All three were lost. She could see Jun taking glances between the river and the Moon while Tomoki was frowning deeply, probably calculating her actual chance to finish that hand.

Saki , she had just raised her eyebrow, her smile still there, her confidence not waning in the least.

But she was obviously troubled by what was happening. Good.

Now she had to get around her own hand. Because in dragging the tide only to the south she also got the reflux and was herself slightly loosing touch.

' I can't master anything on the first try. But still , I can win. Jun winning tiles are all in my hand'

"Pon" Saki called on a three bamboo. Koromo hadn't seen it coming and she suddenly felt danger from there too. Not a tempai yet but with the way the girl played, it could mean she was already about to win.

She wouldn't let her.

"Chi" Diminishing the number of tiles she could win of, that was the only way. Hopefully there were already a lot of unique tiles in the discard and her hand was inshanten for Tanyao would have been a Pinfu if not for her earlier call that. Now all was a question of speed. She looked at the moon . Yes she would win , all she needed was to recede the flow on everyone.

As she wished, on the next turn the pressure, equal for all but her , stoped Tomoki from wining and advance Saki's hand. A thing the last one had clearly not anticipated as she looked at her quizzically, before throwing the tile she had just drawn.

Next Jun tried a 4 bamboo and Koromo called it. "Chi " She took the tile aggressively. Now all was ready. If she knew fate enough, she would get back to Saki. At least in part.

A Kazoe Yakuman was still a big advantage and Koromo had paid the Lion share. The problem was that Saki had shown that she lacked confidence in herself at the strangest moment, hand Koromo could rule out that it could happen even in Saki's current state.

"Ah, ... Kan" Well, it seemed this time would be good for her. Koromo waited to confirm it was a promoted Kan, and when she placed it Koromo revealed her hand.

"Ron, Chan-kan tanyao, aka Dora 2" Koromo had sacrificed a Pontatial Sanshoku, but her instinct was still as good as ever. " Mangan 8000"

"Hai," Saki was still surprised, slightly shaking event. Koromo got worried for a second. Traumatisme could come from nowhere.

But in her eyes there was still that same fire. She saw her taking her breath, like she was humming in the scent from outside.

"Let's continue" Saki was radiating with power to the point Koromo looked at the moon again, just to be sure.

And to the two sacrifices too, Both Jun and Tomoki were a taint paler than earlier, almost looking it wouldn't do for them to stop fighting before the end and so they held on, even so they already radiated despair.

Saki pushed on the button. It was only the third East.

...

As the hands went on Saki found Koromo to be really impressive , it had taken her one full game but she had successfully devised a strategy to hinder her. Yet Saki managed to win a 3 han hand on Third East, it had only been thanks to a quick Self-Kan rinshan, a move that not even her onee-chan had managed to stop in their time together.

It had really been reassuring for even if she didn't show it she had been slightly frightened, and a little angry too.

She hated when people tried to cut her flowers . Even if Koromo was her Friend she would make her pay dearly. But not yet.

Because since then each hand seemed to escape her grasp slightly and she needed to get around that first. Not that she needed to win each hand to win, she only needed to win the right one but she had to be sure they didn't regain to much.

Saki succeeded in not getting hit again but the constant shift in pressure faced by Koromo had obviously gone on higher gear. Destiny was now ever changing forcing everyone to prepare for sudden change of pace in the middle of a hand.

And that was exactly what Jun had done as she regain most of her points by riding the wave created by the tide while Saki, Better swimmer in game than in life, was still looking for any mean to use those tides at her advantage.

The one with a problem was Tomoki, who was at the point of suffocating. Saki could now understand why they needed her. The girl was a good player and an excellent analyst. But the moment the game become too much of a fight her nature immediately made her pay.

On south Second third repeat, which had seen a really proactive Jun as a dealer, Tomoki had hit the Zero Mark after the Second Haitei of the game.

This time Saki had no choice. If she wanted to go where she wanted she would need to get her out of that .

First , She had to get Koromo too concentrated on her, force her to concentrate the tide like she had done on that first strike. And this time Saki was the dealer so it would be easy enough.

Saki looked at her hand, then at Tomoki's hand and discard. Three turn only and she could say which hand the girl was going for and she could do nothing this time.

She could also tell which hand Jun was going to for now. The only she couldn't read yet was the other monster in front of her . She also looked at her and was once more subjugated by how much the moonlight made her shine.

The end of the game was nearing too so she also had to put the score in place.

On the fifth turn she saw the first occasion to perturbate the game.

"Kan" Saki called on Koromo's Eight wan discard. The girl grinned at her devilishly, but this time it wasn't the petite she was provocating.

What she was searching was for an error from Jun, the one that Koromo was letting free for now. She had to reduce her score to place her for the finish.

Inwardly Saki smirked. They had asked what she was able to, she would show it.

The next turn Jun was already acting "Chi". The flow changed in her favor anew, but it was already too late.

"Pon" Koromo called, her attention had successfully been shifted, and even if she was still under her light now Jun would find the flow to be trickier.

And at the same time easier for her.

On the ninth turn still she was surprised by the tall girl reaction. "Kan" It frankly shocked Saki. She was touching what was hers.

Still it wasn't the first time some did that same thing, and it was always the risky gambit even if Saki hadn't yet found a way to impede it. As the girl sighted deeply a vein popping on her hand Saki knew she had lost it.

Yet Jun continued the fight and didn't discard her draw, which was understandable when you were fighting against her.

Good , it wouldn't be as fun otherwise.

"Not so easy to get right." Koromo taunts Jun.

" Well , I could still try" Jun answered nervously. And Sakik knew why. That tile she had draw was really a risky one

Still the game went on and There was no sign of Jun in tempai since she had made that kan even after she changed her hand. And Koromo was giving of really dangerous vibe.

Time to stop or it would get out of hand again.

"Chi" She called Jun red5 Dot and discarded a 4. On the next turn Jun face brighten, before darkening anew remembering what she had to discard to conserve a new tempai.

Saki followed her eyes and so she was looking at her discard.

In it there were already two 2 dot and a 4.

Then she looked around and all 3 dot were already in either Koromo Tomoki and her discard.

Seing she took out the tile on the rightmost of her hand Saki knew she had made her choice and discarded her 1 dot.

Bad choice, Not that it would have changed much.

"Kan" Saki took the tile and she clearly heard Jun swear under her breath. Koromo too seemed rather upset. "Sorry"

She extended her hand and took the third Rinshan.

"Tsumo, Rinshan Kaihou, Dora 3" When she clacked her winning tile both Koromo and Jun got a really shocked look on their face, and The last one was trembling while holding her last draw.

"With the responsible pay 12000" Apart from the red Dora, the two others were coming from Jun's earlier kan But would have been there no matter what.

"... Ok" Jun gave her her point.

She took them but already she was concentrating on her next prey. But she had not forgotten Tomoki and still gave her a little smile.

...

Koromo shivered. It didn't last long but she felt it. A killing intent had washed over, a really strong one. And it was aimed at her. She had just regained second place but it was only because Jun had been struck.

Koromo wasn't used to be held in check, but she was playing with her ability and had let Jun take too much points and was about to rectify that. Jun seemed to mind Saki more that her so she had to remind the beanpole who was the master of the house and tend a trap while she was looking elsewhere.

And it had worked perfectly, She had taken the risk to out Saki likely winning tile and got stuck with it in her and.

But what Koromo didn't foresaw was that Saki too was manipulating the game And that in the end Jun chose to attempt to win even if she knew it was risky. And it wasn't even a good hand so why?

The answer down on her when she saw Saki's winning tile. It was the same as hers, and the tile Jun had just picked up. If Jun had discarded her draw she would have taken a double Ron and would the game would have ended there, with Saki's victory.

Normal people would think that it couldn't be her doing because Winning there would have been better for Saki but Koromo knew better. In front of her was her kin, a kindred spirit. She had a goal in mind since the start of the game and would stick to it, even if for that she had to lose points.

And she was her next prey, that much was readable in the glowing eyes of the girl whose father disappeared in the moonlight shade.

But contrary to Jun, or Tomoki , Koromo was a predator too, and she wouldn't give up without a fight. As midnight got nearer her sense were at their paroxysm.

Koromo didn't look to her right nor to her left. The two others were already crouched, either by unsalvagable point loss or a crushed spirit. She could concentrate her full power on Saki to drown her.

She concentrates, even getting rid of the ebb. Saki winced , But even so she conserved her beautiful smile.

Koromo first discarded was the one Dot, perfect reflection on the one in the sky. And from then she couldn't sense any strength in Saki's hand at all.

Koromo's hand took time to build, she wanted to be sure she struck true. By the fourteenth turn she had finally built a perfect Baiman. But she didn't call richii. Saki has been just too high in the score for her to win with anything less than a Yakuman Tsumo or a direct Sanbaiman on her. And even then she would be 8000 points of the mark.

And that last one was ruled out. Even if she was confident that her wrecking was working and that she was herself good enough a player to push anyone to the fault She wasn't sure she could push Saki to lose to anything more than a Mangan.

Saki was just giving her that kind of filling. At the turn passed Koromo felt like a blur on her mind.

At first it had been subtle but even when she had socked Koromo could feel it. She had heard Saki's stories from Hagiyoshi.

Koromo was sad for her then, but not to the point of pitying her. First pitting someone was a mark of disrespect and her mother had brought her up right. But also because Koromo considered herself worse off.

However Koromo couldn't understand at all how some could blame their own child for something that was out of their grasp. It was just preposterous

Now she wasn't so sure at all. And that was why she preferred to be sure. But a simple haitei wouldn't give her the Yaku she lacked to get her Yakuman so she would just do what she always did.

Even at the deep end she had felt no attempt from Saki to go against the tide. So , one turn before the end she declared her Tempai. "Richi" she declared with the threatening voice she used in competition, releasing her aura to its maximum.

No , one reacted, Not even a wince.

For the sacrifice it was understandable, they were already dead, playing only by reflex. But for Saki it was frustrating. But at the same time it was endearing. Saki was really some who wouldn't get broken by her.

But Koromo had forgotten the one weakness of her power with her last draw Koromo felt that Saki had gotten to tempai.

Nevertheless it was a tempai with no value at all, O han and she was sure there were no dora either. So no danger at all for her.

At first she thought Saki would still go for a richi but even that she did not do.

Was she saving point knowing she would be struck either way? Was she settling for the 1500 she would get for a tempai at the end of an unfinished round? Koromo didn't think so. But she couldn't get what Saki was aiming.

And while she was caught in those thought she draw her last tile, the world of her victory already on her lips.

But then she saw it. In her hand was not the five dot that should have sealed her victory but a one dot.

Under the shock of having been betrayed by her instinct that much Koromo let the tile go out of her and, Totally forgetting the rest of the game for instant. At least she was in tempai and could get a repeat.

"Ron" "ron" Two soft voice, they completely stunned her. First she looked in front of her and so that the first voice belonged to Saki.

"Houtei Raoyui, 1han 40 fu , 2000 with the bonus 2300" Koromo was totally blown, under the shock she had forgotten her earlier questionment. Of course it would be that Koromo really felt stupid.

And even more stupid when she remembered that she had gotten it by another one.

"Houtei raoyui, Chanta , pinfu, 4han 30 fu 7700 " Tomoki wore a small smile while disbelief sparked in her eyes. Koromo had been so concentrated on Saki, and so quickly dismissed the other that she had not sensed when Tomoki gathered her hand. Even when she was the one to call and shift the order in her favor.

While giving them her point's stick Koromo got a look at the current score

Saki 76 300 Koromo 8000 Jun 8000 Tomoki 7700.

For some reason other that the freakingly huge gap between herself and Saki she didn't like the score, it seemed ominous for her. But hell if she knew why at that moment.

...

Tomoki couldn't believe it. Since the start of that hellish match she almost never even got to tempai. That much was a given. What she couldn't get was that she had finally won a hand, and on Koromo. She was so focused on Saki that she had totally forgotten them. Still she wouldn't have gone all the way if she hadn't seen the look Saki had on Koromo's First discard.

It was so obvious that she knew she had been manipulated but none the less it was still points, and With the difference in score she had a shot at the second place.

She had lived with Koromo long enough to know that she was going for an haitei again, to avenge from the trap she had fallen into before. And this time she wouldn't do the same error and forget the other.

But at the same time she was angry and bound to make other errors in order to strike hard, just like her cousin. Because Koromo wasn't one to give up on first place. Ever. Even it there was 68 300 point between them, more than a direct hit Yakuman could get her.

And she would use that. And the fact that for some reason Saki was obviously letting her alone when she could easily finish the game by putting her down Zero.

So as the turns passed on that Third South Second Repeat she pulled her hand. Nothing big or outstanding since it would draw unwanted attention, but just a Simple Pinfu.

At least that's what she had in mind at the start. But on seventh turn Jun, finally out of her short slump stole one of her discard, a North, even so she was South.

Everyone believed her out and even Saki seemed a little surprised to see her try her luck in changing the flow. Saki answered two turns later, by calling a 4 bamboo Pon out of Koromo.

One turn later Jun discarded that same 4 bamboo

"Chi"

And got it call By Koromo, Making her hunter smile. She was still out for blood. And gave every sign of getting for a regular Yakuman this time which was unusual but not unheard of her.

But what really interested Tomoki was that amidst of those calls she had reached a tempai for a hand she had not prepared at all.

And when she saw Saki discard the turn after she couldn't believe it.

'Clack'

".. Ron, Pinfu , Ryanpeikou, 7700 with the bonus 8300"

"Hai" Saki said , giving her the point before she even finished enunciating the score. And why did she look so happy to lose those points? Now a single Yakuman Would suffice.

Not that she believed she could get it. But at least she was second.

...

In the heart of a Mansion, dice turned on a table. When they stopped the first Bell of midnight rang.

Into the sky, the Moon at just reached its zenith, Her reflected light illuminating the world.

In the heart of a city, a girl woke up, a dreadful feeling washing over her. There would be hell to pay.

Twelve movements around that same table, twelve ringing of a bell, twelve heartbeats of afraid girls, and everything had ended.

"Tsumo, Chinitsu, San An Kou, San Kan Tsu, Rinshan Kaihou, Aka Ichi" A soft but firm voice announced sealing fate itself. " 16000/8000".

No one dared to say it but for each of them, In Saki's hand the red five dot looked like a flower of blood.

Each of them had one in its hand.

Not far from that mansion, Red Flowers Bloomed on a grave. The man inside had just been buried

...

Until next time

Thank for reading.

Please review. They really do help.

Fragment of Ring